It's Friday

It's Friday. Here's what's happening....

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Today is January 20th, the 20th day of 2012. There are 346 days left in the year. (This is a leap year.)

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All-Star captaincy selection a big honor for Chara.

Numbers: Original Six domination of standings a rarity.

Visit the official league website, http://www.nhl.com/.

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Today's Birthdays: Former astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin (second person to step on the moon) is 82; Rocker Paul Stanley (Kiss) is 60; Actor James Denton (Desperate Housewives) is 49; Actor Rainn Wilson (The Office) is 46; TV personality Melissa Rivers is 44.

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Tampa, FL. -- The Tampa Bay Lightning look for their second straight win tonight, when they play at the Dallas Stars.

Read the preview right here.

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Today is Camcorder Day, Get To Know Your Customers Day, Inauguration Day, National Disc Jockey Day and International Fetish Day.

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U.S. Youth Olympic Boys' Ice Hockey Team Upended by Russia, 5-2,
in the Semifinals of the 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games

Team USA Outshoots Russia, 32-16, in Defeat

INNSBRUCK, Austria -- Despite outshooting Russia, 32-16, and scoring two third period goals, Team USA's comeback bid was thwarted, as the U.S. Youth Olympic Boys' Ice Hockey Team fell to Russia, 5-2, in the semifinals of the 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games this afternoon at Tyrolean Ice Arena. Team USA advances to the bronze-medal game and will face Canada or Finland tomorrow (Jan. 21) at 8:45 a.m. EST.

"It was a hard-fought game by our team and, at times, we were really taking the action to them," said Ben Smith, head coach of the U.S. Youth Olympic Boys' Ice Hockey Team. "There were some positive signs, but that doesn't take away the sting of losing to a very good team."

The U.S. outshot Russia in every frame, but found itself trailing 2-0 at the start of the third period. Russia scored twice more before the U.S. recorded back-to-back goals midway through the third period to make the score 4-2. Joe Wegwerth (Brewster, N.Y.) struck first at 10:06 with an assist credited to Jack Eichel (North Chelmsford, Mass.). Eichel then added a goal of his own on the power play at 11:22 of the third period to make it a two-goal game. However, Russia tacked on an empty-net goal with 23 seconds remaining to secure the 5-2 win.

Logan Halladay (Cary, N.C.) made 11 saves for the U.S., while Sergey Korobov made 30 saves for Russia.

NOTES: Nick Schmaltz (Verona, Wis.) was named Team USA's Player of the Game ... The U.S. went 1-for-6 on the power play, while Russia went 1-for-3 with the man advantage ... Team USA holds a 2-0-0-3 (W-OTW-OTL-L) overall record entering the bronze-medal game. A full schedule and results are below ... For Team USA's full roster, click here ... Gold medal-winning coach Ben Smith, is at the reigns of Team USA, while Stephen Greenberg is serving as team leader ... Serving on the support staff is equipment manager Bob Webster and athletic trainer Stan Wong ... The boys' hockey competition at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games includes teams from Austria, Canada, Finland, Russia and the United States ... Follow the hashtag #2012YOG to join the conversation during the tournament.

GAME SUMMARY

Scoring By Period

USA 0- 0- 2- 2
RUS 1- 1- 3- 5

First Period - Scoring: 1, RUS, Orlov (Nasybullin, Protapovich), 2:06, (pp). Penalties: USA, Schmaltz (hooking), 0:54; RUS, Zinovev (slashing), 6:17; RUS, Sergeev (interference), 13:31.

Second Period - Scoring: 2, RUS, Nikolishin (unassisted), 13:01. Penalties: USA, Jacobs (cross-checking), 3:43; USA, Magyar (slashing), 8:38; RUS, Mikulovich (slashing), 9:51.

Third Period - Scoring: 3, RUS, Zinovev (Mikulovich, Nikolishin), 1:03; 4, RUS, Nekolenko (Nikolishin, Sergeev), 2:49; 5, USA, Wegwerth (Eichel), 10:06; 6, USA, Eichel (Glover), 11:22, (pp); 7, RUS, Svechnikov (unassisted), 14:37, (en). Penalties: RUS, Vovchenko (kneeing), 3:18; RUS, Nasybullin (holding), 7:32; RUS, Sergeev (hooking), 10:25; RUS, Svechnikov (roughing), 12:22; USA, Magyar (roughing), 12:22.

Shots by Period
1 2 3 Total
USA 9 9 14 32
RUS 7 3 6 16

Goaltenders (SH/SV) 1 2 3 Total
RUS, Korobov, 45:00 9/9 9/9 14/12  32/30
USA, Halladay, 41:49 7/6 3/2 5/3 15/11

Power Play: USA 1-6; RUS 1-3
Penalties: USA 7-14; RUS 4-8

Team USA 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games Schedule
Jan. 13-22 • Innsbruck, Austria • Tyrolean Ice Arena

Date Opponent
Time (Local/EST)

Sat., Jan. 14 Austria W, 7-2
Sun., Jan 15 Canada L, 1-5
Tues., Jan. 17 Finland W, 5-4
Wed., Jan. 18 Russia L, 1-7
Fri., Jan. 20 Russia (Semifinal) L, 2-5
Sat., Jan. 21 Bronze Medal Game 2:45 p.m./8:45 a.m.

Fifth Annual Hockey Weekend Across America One Month Away

Event Feb. 17-19 to Celebrate, Promote Hockey Across the Nation

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The fifth annual Hockey Weekend Across America, presented by Reebok, is just one month away. The three-day celebration of the sport of hockey will take place Feb. 17-19 nationwide.

Each of the three days associated with Hockey Weekend Across America has a theme, including Wear Your Favorite Hockey Jersey, sponsored by ShopUSAHockey.com on Friday; Try Hockey Day, sponsored by the NHL on Saturday and Celebrate Local Hockey Heroes, sponsored by Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports on Sunday.

“Hockey Weekend Across America has been a success because of the vast participation of the hockey community — from those in our grassroots programs across the country to the National Hockey League and its teams,” said Dave Ogrean, executive director of USA Hockey. “We encourage everyone to get engaged in the celebration in some fashion and share with us what you’re doing through the Hockey Weekend Across America website.”

HockeyWeekendAcrossAmerica.com is the information hub for the event, with highlights of activities planned in conjunction with Hockey Weekend Across America from around the country, giveaway contests and downloadable promotional materials available. Associations or fans celebrating Hockey Weekend Across America are encouraged to submit their event plans to USA Hockey at the site.

On Friday, Feb. 17, USA Hockey will direct fans to its Facebook page to submit photos of themselves, their friends and colleagues donning their favorite team's jersey at work or at school during "Wear Your Favorite Hockey Jersey" day.

On Saturday, Feb. 18, more than 200 rinks across the nation will host Try Hockey for Free Clinics, exposing more than 4,000 young kids to hockey for the very first time. A list of currently scheduled clinics as well as information on how local associations or rinks can host their own event can be found here.

In honor of "Celebrate Local Hockey Heroes" day on Sunday, Feb. 19, USA Hockey is asking its fans to post stories, photos or videos of their hockey heroes to USA Hockey's Facebook wall to share with the world. Also, on Sunday, fans can look forward to NBC's Hockey Day in America coverage.

Finally, USA Hockey and Reebok Hockey are teaming up to provide free head-to-toe equipment packages to three lucky winners with the Hockey Weekend Across America "Get Your Gear On Sweepstakes." For official rules and to enter, click here.

Hockey Weekend Across America was created by USA Hockey in 2008 to engage the hockey community in celebrating the sport of hockey at all levels and exposing the sport to new audiences.

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The roller coaster was patented by L.A. Thompson on this date in 1885.

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Casey Creehan named Ticats 'D' Coordinator.

Local product Jadon Wagner joins Stampeders.

Visit the leagues' official website, http://www.cfl.ca/.

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Johnny Depp finished first in a poll of America's favorite actors. Tom Hanks finished fourth. [As a result Hanks announced that he was dropping out of the race and throwing his support behind second-place Denzel Washington.]

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The 2011 NFL playoffs are underway. Here's the Conference Finals Week schedule:

Conference Playoffs

All times Eastern

January 22nd

Baltimore at New England 3:00pm
New York Giants at San Francisco 6:30pm

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IN THEATERS THIS WEEKEND - Haywire; Red Tails; Underworld: Awakening; Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

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So many toys, so little time.

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A website called The Most Expensive T-shirt in the World is selling a tee for $400,000. The shirt's manufacturer, based in the UK, justify the cost by saying the tees are made from 100 percent organic cotton. Also, they claim the manufacturing process uses only renewable energy, like wind and solar, which reduces the shirt's carbon footprint by 90 percent. Oh, and there are also 16 diamonds sewn in, totaling nine carats.

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Today in Elvis History:

1958 - Elvis Presley got his orders to report to duty from the U.S. Army. He was allowed a 60-day deferment so he could finish the film "King Creole".

1960 - Elvis Presley was promoted to Sergeant in the U.S. Army.

1969 - Elvis Presley recorded "In the Ghetto", "Rubberneckin'" and "Suspicious Minds." It was the first time he had recorded in Memphis since 1956.

2004 - The Elvis Presley 2-CD set "The Gospel Side of Elvis" was released.

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A 94-year-old Chinese romeo has signed up to a matchmaking agency in search of a date but insists he is not yet ready to marry. The lonely heart is advertising for a good looking, financially stable woman under the age of 60 but stresses he does not want to be "restricted by marriage".

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Today in Beatles History:

1964 - The album "Meet the Beatles" was released in the U.S. on Capitol Records. It was their U.S. debut.

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Paul McCartney is in talks to stage a top secret concert at the London Olympics this summer. Paul will meet with event officials today (Friday) to discuss a possible appearance at an event linked to the Games.

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Today in Sports History:

1892 - The first official basketball game was played by students at the Springfield, MA, YMCA Training School.

1937 - Nels Stewart (New York Americans) became the NHL's career leading scorer when he scored his 270th NHL goal.

1949 - Free substitution was adopted for one year in the NFL.

1952 - Patricia McCormick debuted as the first professional woman bullfighter.

1968 - Houston ended UCLA's 47-game winning streak with a 71-69 victory at the Astrodome before 52,693 fans. The game also set a NCAA attendance record.

1985 - The most-watched Super Bowl game in history was seen by an estimated 115.9 million people. The San Francisco 49ers beat the Miami Dolphins, 38-16. Super Bowl XIX marked the first time that TV commercials sold for a million dollars a minute. Joe Montana was awarded his third MVP award.

1995 - The NHL season opened with the teams playing a 48-game schedule instead of the usual 84. The season had been shortened due to a players strike.

1999 - ESPN announced the creation of the Great Outdoor Games to be held in Lake Placid, NY, in 2000.

1999 - The NBA lockout officially ended after 204 days.

2002 - Joe Nieuwendyk (Dallas Stars) played in his 1,000th career NHL game.

2003 - Patrick Roy (Colorado Avalanche) became the first NHL goalie to play in 1,000 games.

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The National Negro Network was formed on this date in 1954. Forty radio stations were charter members of the network.

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Coming up:

Tonight --

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Dallas Stars 8:30pm EST

Saturday --

Empire South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Atlanta Jr. Knights 5:15pm EST

EJHL South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Atlanta Jr. Knights 8:00pm EST

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning at Phoenix Coyotes 8:00pm EST

Sunday --

Empire South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Atlanta Jr. Knights 11:30pm EST

EJHL South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Atlanta Jr. Knights 2:15pm EST

Monday --

Nothin' Doin'

Tuesday --

NHL Hockey -- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Columbus Blue Jackets 7:30pm EST

Wednesday --

Nothin' Doin'

Thursday --

Nothin' Doin'

Friday --

Nothin' Doin'

Saturday --

EJHL South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Space Coast Hurricanes 5:00pm EST

Sunday --

EJHL South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Space Coast Hurricanes 11:15am EST

Empire South Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors vs Florida Junior Blades 1:30pm EST

NHL Hockey -- All Star Game at Kanata, Ontario 4:00pm EST

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That's it for today. Thanks for stopping by, I hope that you'll do so tomorrow too. Thanks again!